FEATURE: Hey, What's that thing on your door??

Just in case you haven't read all of the 750+ Interviews, this bit stands out, every time I come across it: Timothy Archibald, interviewed for Communication Arts Insights:

What’s your favorite quote?

"Right now my favorite quote also comes from Warren Zevon. At a challenging point in his life, he joked “My career has all the promise of a Civil War leg wound.” I loved that phrase with all of it’s honesty and irony. With photography, as everyone knows, there are times when really no one wants to hear about you; no matter what you do, you are invisible. And there are other times when you are a magnet. The key to survival is not to invest too much brain/heart space in the highs or the lows."

Edited by Kathy Ryan with support from Times magazine staff members Stacey Baker and Marvin Orellana, "Photographs" looks back at highlights of three decades of photography published in the magazine. Gail Bichler interviewed Ryan about the book on SPD's blog, Grids..

Full Interview: Here.

Kathy Ryan: 

It's a gathering of major photographic talent from the art world to the style world to the journalism world. That's definitely something that I think makes this book singular.

Visually there's a moment [when] a photo seems to transcend the immediacy of its purpose. What gives them staying power and qualified them for this book was that they transcended that moment and that years later those images still had that incredible power.

...Some of the more philosophical, articulate and thoughtful photographers provide some insight into a larger kind of understanding of what photography means [via the words that accompany each photograph].

Jake Stangel, Interviewed by Rob Haggart

© Damien Maloney

Link to Original Article (A Photo Editor)

In this interview, Jake and Rob discuss many things, including a new blog post in which Jake shares a four step plan to become a working photographer. The post is here, and he breaks it down like this:

Assist

Build a Network

Shoot Personal Work

Start with Small Shoots

Here is what Jake said to Rob about his beginnings,

"Living in NYC was also paramount to my development as a photographer, and I got to intern and assist for Jeff Riedel and Richard Renaldi. Both of those experiences were fantastic and I learned heaps. These internships were utterly fundamental in solidifying my desire and motivation to become a photographer... So, if college kids are reading this, work for photographers you love and respect. Doesn’t matter how big-time they are, though it’s helpful if they are working!"

And followed up:

I recognized that personal work, and developing a comprehensive portfolio ... was the key to getting commissions. So I just went for it. Assigned myself what I wanted to shoot, then showed that work around, then got actual assigned work that nicely overlayed on top of it. 

I'd like to quote the final comment from A.P.E, which might be relevant to some of y'all.

"Ivan Stangel January 31, 2012 at 6:44 pm
Jake, I am so proud of who you are and what you what you have accomplished in your young professional life, and how you give to other young photographers through your putting your story out there and through your encouragement of their pursuit of photography. Dad"

This is what Jake had to say (a couple of years back) on transitioning:

"When I moved out to Portland last year, I figured that I’d assist for at least a year or two... However, the industry out there is small. The time I spent trying to get assisting work was eclipsing everything I was doing... I quickly recognized this and switched gears, spending all that time promoting my own work instead -- a long-term investment in myself... The other big tip-off for me was a solid reaction from photographers and photo editors to my website, which gave me the confidence to make the move towards promoting my own work.
So my “jump” was primarily made out of necessity, but in order to successfully make it across, photographers who are at this point need to have a well-rounded portfolio they can stand behind, as well as the skills to get that portfolio in front of the right people. Most importantly, anyone at this point in their careers needs to have found a photographic voice unique to themselves that will have a demand in some part of the industry."  ~via Stone-Thrower

See more of Jake's work on his site. Or via his Rep's site. Studio Visit Here.

© P. Dazely

Ethics in Advertising with Chris Moore of Ogilvy & Mather: 

"People in advertising spend a lot of their time dealing with ethical choices, and those choices are almost never black and white. They're subtle, shades-of-gray choices, juicy enough for a Philosophy major." 

"Ronald Reagan once appeared in ads touting the health benefits of a cigarette brand. Times have changed. Now the space in which tobacco can be promoted in any form is growing more restricted every day. And tobacco isn't the only potentially lethal product that poses ethical questions for us. Ad agencies and individual advertising people make their own decisions about categories like tobacco and guns. Many simply say, 'No, thanks'."   

(More here) 

So it goes...

The arts are a very human way of making life more bearable. Practicing an art, no matter how well or badly, is a way to make your soul grow, for heaven's sake. Sing in the shower. Dance to the radio. Tell stories. Write a poem to a friend, even a lousy poem. Do it as well as you possibly can. You will get an enormous reward. You will have created something.”

― Kurt Vonnegut, A Man Without a Country

Welcome Back.

"If there is a future wave of wellness on this planet, of harmony, of peace, of an end to war, of mutual understanding, of equality, of fairness, I don't expect it will come from a government, a military force or a corporation. If there is a future of peace for humankind, if there is to be an understanding of how these invisible, internal things should fit together, I expect it will come from the artists, because that's what we do."

~ Karl Paulnack on the role of an artist.

Stefan Sagmeister and Milton Glaser on the Fear of Failure

This, via Creative Review:

To promote their graduation exhibition, students from Berghs School of Communication invited leading figures in the creative world to discuss their fear of failure.  (More Here)

Don't miss commentary by author Paolo Coelho, AKQA’s Rei Inamoto, Photographer Sarah Moon and Wally Olins.

Real World Estimates: Flat Rate Mag Contracts

"Figure out how you’re going to execute the job and then list all of the expenses you’ll incur— subtracting them from the total budget. Compare what’s left to the amount of work involved and the licensing required. Is it reasonable? If it isn’t, don’t assume that it’s a take-it-or-leave-it situation. Most clients are willing to negotiate if you handle it in a thoughtful way. Determine what would make it work for you."

Read the whole article on APE, Written by Craig Oppenheimer @ Wonderful Machine

Navigate your Business, with help from Rob.

“Photography as a business is not about operating cameras. It’s about ... applying the rules that govern successful businesses: advertising, marketing, networking, professionalism, instilling confidence, igniting word of mouth, leadership, standing out, evolving, defining your offering, building a team of talented people,etc. ...
As a benchmark, your appearance in [something like] PDN 30 should be accompanied by your 3rd year of direct marketing, a spread in a great magazine, successful portfolio meetings and the completion of an intense personal project."  

Read more of this little vignette about the business on APE.

Environmental Demo Pics

Fun Fun Fun. Capture One.